Wi Fi at truck stops

[ibamars]

Well I am back out on the road. i just thought i would post this due to I thought it was kinda cool.

So I am siting here at the 223 in ohio on I-80. pilot. I finally broke down and bought a wireless internet card for my laptop. so i turn on the internet card to see what signals i get. I pick up 2. one from the pilot and one from the flying j. what amazes me is the flying j is 10 miles down the road if not mistaken.
so i spent 5 bucks to try it out.. so far so good.

anyone else have something they like for service out here?

oh it also worked good when i picked up someones houses signal and got on for free in michigan

[Mattangcobra]

I wouldn't go around telling people your stealing wifi. It is illegal

[P Jug Joe]

How is it illegal? If the system is unsecured and not password protected it's not illegal. A lot of people have WiFi set up for their homes and don't bother to password protect it. If the sytem will let you log in it's not illegal to log in. It doesn't sound like the guy is hacking in. I mean, I could be mistaken, but usually guys who are asking questions about WiFi on trucking message boards aren't hackers.

Anyway- the Flying J won't let you log in without buying the service. He said he paid $5 which, if I recall, is the daily fee for buying ONE day of service. So how is this stealing?

I am using a home WiFi setup right now while visiting some relatives. I wasn't even sure it was THEIR WiFi until I asked the next day. I've never used WiFi before except a brief stint trying the truck stop WiFi that didn't turn out so well. I'm amazed ibamars is getting a signal from the Flying J 10 miles down the road- but POWER to you!

If I'm not mistaken a lot of people PROVIDE free WiFi. Airports- Starbucks- and a lot of private homes and users. Rest areas in some areas, too, from what I've heard.

ibamars, I use a Sprint wireless air card. I didn't have a whole lot of luck with WiFi and I decided that for the expense it's worth it for me. I do my accounting online, pay bills, check fuel prices and, of course, stir the pot whenever possible here on Class A Drivers... all for $60/month after taxes and fees get figured in.

[mike3fan]

I don't think it is illegal unless you are using it for illegal purposes.

[Hat Rak]

Exactly. It is the in furtherance of a crime statute that also applies to scanners in most states.

[kc0iv]

Exactly. It is the in furtherance of a crime statute that also applies to scanners in most states.

There are several states that have made it illegal. I recall a case in FL. where they charged a man. Never heard what the out come was.

As others have said -- Its dumb to NOT have a system protected. Only takes a couble of minutes to do.

kc0iv

[mike3fan]

I recall a case in FL. where they charged a man. Never heard what the out come was.

If I remember right he was doing something illegal like accessing bank records or something.not sure though as I don't exctly remember either.

[BAYDOG]

What is a name and model of card I can get so I can sit in the average truck stop, pay theur fee, and use wifi?? I have a HP 900 with windows 2000.

Just go to Best Buy, Walmart or any computer store and get ANY wireless internet card and it will work fine.

If someone allows there home network to be accessed go ahead and use it. It's not illegal. The home owner left it open on purpose by not password protecting there router. Sort of like leaving the shades open in your house and your TV up against the window. Go ahead and watch it!

[EasyRolln]

Again, it's not illegal unless you try to hack into the persons computer. I use one of my neighbors DSL when my cable goes down. They even make devices to boost your WiFi signal to pick up unsecured signals.

[mike3fan]

is there a way to tell if someone is on your internet connection?

[badluckdragon]

I think some people are missing the point. The guy is NOT stealing use of WIFI, he paid the fee to sign up for Flying J internet. As long as he paid the fee to get to log in, it does not matter if he is not parked in a Flying J parking lot or not. You can't use their internet unless you pay, no matter where you park. So I don't see why people are comparing this to illegal use of other peoples system?

By the way, for the person who originally posted. I traveled with my husband for aboug 5 months and we found that Flying J was by far the most reliable of the WiFi systems. The one we found to be the worst, and he has tried them again now, and they still seem to be pretty bad is Siricom that is available at most Pilots. If you are an online gamer, Flying J or TA wifi are the way to go.

Also some of the cell phone companies have wireless pci cards that gives you internet access basically any place that your cell phone would work. And those are awesome. We are getting ready to change back to that method again, it costs about 80 dollars a month, but in our opinion well worth it. Then you can even get online when you are sitting around at customers waiting to load and unload.

is there a way to tell if someone is on your internet connection?

This only happens if you have a wireless router at home. Just a note. Your router has it's own web address like 192.168.1.1 which you can get into from your browser. In there you will see DHCP which is Dynamic Host Control Protocol and that's the guy that assigns IP addresses to anyone who hooks into your router. Click on list DHCP clients or something that looks like that and it will tell who is using your router other than yourself. You should read the manual and setup a password key which only allows you to use it. You can also go to your file explorer or my computer and click on Computers Near Me and see if anyone else shows up. And, if they are fool enough to be sharing there disk, all there files will be available for either viewing or deleting!!! I opened up my router once for fun to see if anyone would take advantage and many did and many had there system open with shared access. I modified each of there personal login profiles so there screen background had a nice personal message as to what I could have done.

[two4theroad]

I got so tired of chasing signals at the truck stops. nothing worse than the clerk telling you if you want a signal you have to sit inside :x
I made the investment of a sprint card. For the price of what I was spending at the truck stops (all three the Sirius, flying and and TA) to keep connected. (when I could get a signal) I now can Internet anywhere including shippers and even when hubby is driving down the road and I am in the bunk. No need to go inside or move truck to get a signal anymore!

[Windwalker]

Well, I'm sitting at a customer's location. Got here at about 4:30 AM and my appointment is at 10 AM. I get two signals here. One says "SSID not broadcast". The other works fine. I found a customer in GA that provides internet access for the drivers that have to wait to get into a dock. It seems to relieve the tension with some of the drivers and they feel it's worth it. Now, I look for signals whenever I'm going to be waiting for a while. Don't find them very often, but once in a while, like now, the signal is good and it works fine. I noticed that some of the McDonald's have WIFI for free too.

[kc0iv]

Again, it's not illegal unless you try to hack into the persons computer. I use one of my neighbors DSL when my cable goes down. They even make devices to boost your WiFi signal to pick up unsecured signals.

I have not checked all the states but a QUICK search showed 3 cases (2 in FL. and 1 in IL.) where people were fined for using a WIFI connection.

As far as a signal booster. I know at least in the Bay area the use of a "Cantenna" is illegal. I'm not sure how the law is written I haven't read the law.

kc0iv